Ice-pitcher



UNITED s-TATEs PATENT oEErcE.

CHAR-LES DICKINSON AND W'ILLIAM BELLAMY, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ICE-PITCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,455, dated April 5, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES DrciiiNsoN and VVILLTAM BELLAMY, of Newark, in the. county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ice-Pitchers; and we do hereby de clare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making al partof this specification, in which- Figure l, is a vertical central section of our invention. Fig. 2, is a horizontal section of ditto, taken in the line a?, a', Fig; l.

Similar' letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

The pitcher is constructed of' britannia metal or other similar white metal or composition. The pitcher has double walls a, and is of the usual conical form, a space of requisite width being allowed between the walls to receive the lling c. The double walls extend entirely around the pitcher, including both the lid (Z, as well as the bottom c, as plainly shown in Fig. l. The nozzle however may be of single thickness, and a strainer g, may be placed and secured over its lower end.

The filling c, is composed of one part calcined gypsum or plaster of paris, and three parts pulverized charcoal, mixed with water to a pasty consistency and in that state placed between the walls of the pitcher. This composition, as it sets or hardens, expands, an effect due to the plaster of paris, and becomes firmly secured between the walls. It also becomes hard and very solid and serves as a support to the walls a, o. The charcoal serves to lighten the mass, as its specific gravity is very little and at the same time the general properties of the plaster ot' paris are not destroyed by the admixture.

Plaster of paris, as is well known, is an excellent non-conductor of heat, and it also, after being mixed with water, becomes quite hard when dry, and expands in drying so as to occupy more space than when mixed with water. The plaster of paris, therefore, it will be seen, possesses all the requisites for a proper filling, as it forms a very solid mass, protecting the walls of the pitcher which would otherwise be liable to be bruised or injured as britannia metal is quite a soft and ductile substance and readily bent or indented. There is however a serious objection to the use of plaster of paris alone in connection with brita-liniametal ware, and that is its weight. Britannia metal is quite heavy in itself', so much so that double-walled pitchers require to be made quite thin in order to have them suliiciently light even when no filling is used. The weight of the metal therefore precludes the use of plaster of' paris alone, as a filling; it has been used in some few instances, but abandoned for the reason above mentioned.

By adding three parts pulverized charcoal to one of plaster of' paris, the objection above alluded to is removed and a light and durable refrigerating pitcher obtained. The double walled pitchers without lling, and now in general use, soon become disfigured, as the metal bends quite readily, and the slightest knock leaves an indentation. britannia metal or an equivalent composition is almost exclusively used for ice pitchers, as it forms a good body on which to plate by the galvanic process, and a great portion of the pitchers are plated. Even when not plated the metal or composition is susceptible of receiving a good polish, and very ornamental designs for pitchers are got up. It is important therefore to ret-ain the metal, and at the same time obtain some filling that will possess refrigerating properties and give the necessary solidity and durability with a requisite degree of lightness. Veallege that by our invention, this object has been attained. Our improvement also enables us to employ walls composed of other metals or substances, very thin or brittle in their nature; because the filling being hard, supports or distends the walls; so that if they are accidentally struck from within or without, they are not indented or broken when other pitchers would be. Thus our improvement enables us to make a cheaper refrigerating pitcher than can be done by other methods, because less and lighter metal may be used; and it enables us to make a stronger pitcher because its double walls are braced and supported at all points by a filling which is almost as solid as stone.

`We do not claim, broadly, the making of double-Walled ice-pitchers, nor the interpo- Within orlwithout, While it also assists resition of a felt or Woolen non-conductor be frigeration, as herein shown and described. 10 tween the Walls. But

Ve claim, es an improved article of manu- 5 fucture f J An ice-pitcher provided between its Walls YitnesseS: with e hard non-conductor, so as to protect WM. TUSGH,

the Walls from indentation or fracture from i HENRY T. BROWN. 

